Swans and Shears is another project offered by Tempting Tangles Designs and Deborah Dick. The description was intriguing: This SAL is filled with Quaker medallions and hidden scissors and swans. Since I had enjoyed stitching the earlier one, Wildflower Woodland Quaker, I decided to try this one too.

The entire project is made up of 16 parts released about every two weeks. There is a Facebook group you can also join to share your work and where the files are posted.

Specifics for Swans and Shears are:

Design Size: 176w x 148h
Recommended Fabric: Linen, evenweave, Aida  – size and color your choice

Suggested Floss with my substitutions:

• DMC 612/Victorian Motto Sampler Shoppe Waves of Grain
• DMC 500/Carrie’s Creations Bay Breeze
• DMC 936/Victorian Motto Sampler Shoppe Ripe Avocado
• DMC 3740/Victorian Motto Sampler Shoppe Purple Splendor
• DMC 869/Victorian Motto Sampler Shoppe Basket Weave
• DMC3836/Victorian Motto Sampler Shoppe Spring Lilac
• DMC 501/Carrie’s Creation Pacific Blue
• DMC 3803/Victorian Motto Sampler Shoppe Cherry Swirl

This design can also be stitched with all one color which will require 6 skeins of the desired color.

I chose a piece of 28ct Monaco I had in my stash to stitch this one one.

Started Stitching: March 17, 2018
Finished Stitching: August 18, 2018

Thank You for Letting Me See the Colors was a chart by ANNE Originals way back in 1977. It is difficult to find a picture of it on the Internet or the chart itself for that matter. A generous member of the 123Stitch MB sent it to me. I’m not sure why I was so drawn to it, perhaps the colors or the fact that as I age my eyes are getting worse.

As I went searching for a color picture of it, I found this one on Google Images. I believe it was stitched by Debbie Miller and framed by Jill Rensell Studios. Jill and Amber always do a fantastic job.

I stitched mine on 28ct white Monaco over 2 with DMC threads.

Started stitching Oct 2, 2017
Finished stitching October 7, 2017

This one has been sitting in the prison drawer since 2017 because I really was not sure how I wanted to finish it. I took it out and laced it onto a circle board I had in my stash. I had earlier purchased a beautiful batik print in shades of purple that I decided to use as a background. I ordered an inexpensive frame from Amazon in white. I used the piece of acrylic that came with it coved with a layer of batting then laced the purple circle on that. Using tacky glue, I added the stitched piece to the purple board and popped it into the frame. Happy with how it turned out. Frame is 8″ inside.

She Sights a Bird is #3 in the Loose Feathers for the Birds series by Blackbird Designs. The title of this pattern is inspired by Emily Dickenson’s poem, “She signs a Bird – she chuckles.” It seems perfect for this cat surrounded by three birds. Think of this piece as more of a peaceful kingdom that what Emily Dickenson implies in her poem.

The sugggested fabric is 36ct Oaken by Picture This Plus but I have chosen to use 16ct Regency by Picture This Plus with the recommended threads.

Started Stitching: August 5, 2017

Finished Stitching: August 13, 2017

Sometime during the Fall of 2014, a fellow stitcher on the 123Stitch Message Board posted a project she was stitching for a relative. It was the Queenstown Blue Crab. When I saw the piece, I knew it was something I wanted to stitch for my youngest son. Both of my boys had spent lots of time fishing and crabbing on the Chesapeake Bay when they were young.

I asked her if she was interested in selling her chart and she offered to give it to me. I accepted.

The designer recommended Wichelt Belfast linen 32 ct. Platinum for the fabric with DMC cotton floss. Since I have difficulty seeing 32ct and since the design had only full crosses, I decided to use 16ct Aida. I ordered a piece of 16ct Mercedes Aida from Picture This Plus. I thought it would be the perfect color for stitching this chart. And 16ct over 1 would give me the same finished size as 32ct over 2.

Stitch count: 130 high X 160 wide
Design area: 8.2″ high X 10″ wide

I did not write down exactly when I started stitching this project but the first mention of it was November 2014. I worked on it for a while and then my husband’s health issues caused me to put it aside. I picked it up again in July of 2017 determined that I should finish this one. I also moved the project from qsnaps to my larger scroll frame so I could see more or the gridding at one time.

While all of the stitches are full crosses, there are many color changes.

Now to decide how to frame it.

UPDATE – December 27, 2017

I have finally gotten around to framing this one for my son.

I had a request from my granddaughter that she would like something I had stitched with her father’s name on it. I had recently loaned out one of my Blackbird Design books, Tokens of Friendship that had the chart Forget Me Not. It had been stitched in a beautiful shade of blue. I decided that this would be the perfect thing to stitch in my son’s memory for his daughter.

Rather than using the recommended fabric and floss, I selected a piece of 16ct Doubloon Aida by Picture This Plus and a selection of floss from the Victorian Motto Sampler Shoppe.

Churn Dash (dark blue)
Blue Sage (light blue)
Western Wall Flower (yellow)
Flower Basket (green)
Faded Barnwood (dark brown)
Primitive Taupe Brown (light brown)

Started Stitching: January 13, 2017
Finished Stitching: January 22, 2017

I decided to frame it with a dark blue frame I bought from Graphix Dimensions, my favorite supplier for frames.

My favorite designers, Barb Adams and Alma Allen who are the Blackbird Design ladies have released a new series of Loose Feather designs. For the Birds! It’s Spring Fever is the first on the nine charts that will make up this series.